Hunter
by Niti
Summary: Jonas finds love? When on a mission to a forested planet, SG-1 encounters a tribe of humans with preternatural abilities and Goa’uld based technology. But will they become allies… or enemies? Please R&R! UPDATED! Chapter 3 now available!
1. Hok'taur

Jonas finds love? When on a mission to a forested planet, SG-1 encounters a tribe of humans with preternatural abilities and Goa'uld based technology. But will they become allies… or enemies? Please R&R! Even if it is only to tell me I've lost it!

Hunter

There was only one thought on Jonas Quinn's mind as he stepped out of the wormhole and out onto the ramp leading from the Stargate.

"Trees," he said to no on in particular. "Lots of trees."

The landscape around the gate was heavily forested with deciduous trees in full autumn regalia. Splashes of red and gold and orange lit the scene, and the wind whispered through the branches, showering Jonas with brightly colored leaves. Despite the overwhelming beauty of the place, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Hoping for ruins, the presence of the trees was hope-crushing.

"Aw, c'mon, Jonas!" Jack, emerging from the gate, commented. "Think of it as a camping trip in the woods!" He walked past the somewhat stunned scholar with a spring in his step. Major Carter stepped up next to the Kelownan and smiled.

"Don't worry," she told him. "We still have a lot of ground to cover before we have to return. We may find ruins yet." Jonas, cheered a bit by the prospect, preceded Sam and Teal'c down the ramp.

Hours later found Jonas losing all hope of finding ruins. The forest seemed to go on for miles in every direction and gave no indication of stopping. Game trails crisscrossed the ground. Besides those, there seemed to be no sign of life.

Jonas fell behind the group a bit to gather his thoughts. It was still hours before their scheduled return to earth, and he was hoping to go back with something useful. Deep inside, he still felt the need to prove his worth, if not to Colonel O'Neill, then at least to himself. He was still trying desperately to fill the gap left by Dr. Jackson.

As he traipsed along behind the rest of SG-1, he allowed his mind to wander. There seemed to be no intelligent life on this planet. He had certainly seen no signs of it. The Stargate was his only indication that there was ever any human life here.

Something rustled in the branches behind him. Jonas turned quickly, scanning the landscape for threats. Nothing moved, not even the wind in the trees. There were no bird calls, and the forest seemed to have gone silent, as if it was holding it's breath, waiting. He turned his body back around slowly.

"Jack, I think there's something out there," he stated, facing the direction of the rest of his team.

Only, to his surprise, he discovered that they were no longer there. Unnerved, Jonas turned about slowly.

"Jack?" he called. "Sam? Teal'c?"

The branches rustled again, this time from his left, making Jonas jump in shock.

"Hello?" he called again. "Who is it? Who's out there?" He twisted around, peering nervously behind him. "Jack? Sam? Teal'c?"

The thud of something hitting the forest floor brought his gaze around. Somewhat down the beaten game trail stood a woman of wild beauty with braided and beaded fiery red hair dressed in tan and brown leathers held on her body by shiny metal buckles. Metal plates banded her forearms and hands, and in her hand she held an elaborately carved and inlaid compound bow with a thin string. An arrow that looked disturbingly like a solidified zat blast was nocked and aimed at his chest. Eyes the color of jade smirked at him from behind the odd weapon.

"You're friends cannot help you," she crooned in a sibilant voice. "Likely, they have already been captured by my people." Those eyes took on a dangerous light. "You came through the _chapa'ai_. We have been following you for some time. Who are you and who do you serve, slave? Which Goa'uld demon wishes to tangle with the Hok'taur?"

Jonas blinked, the shock obvious on his face. "Hok'taur? You are Hok'taur?" The woman's smile returned, and she drew the string of her bow back a bit more.

"Indeed," she answered. "Now tell me who sent you! I have little patience for the servants of the Goa'uld!" Now panicked, Jonas put his hands up in the air.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "We are not the servants of the Goa'uld! We are peaceful travelers from a planet called Earth. We came to make contact with the indigenous race of this planet. We were hoping for an alliance against the Goa'uld." He smiled, hoping to appear harmless. "We are fighting the Goa'uld, as well." The woman looked critically at him.

"You bear Goa'uld weapons," she stated icily. "And one of your party is a _jaffa_." Jonas laughed a bit.

"Teal'c?" he asked. "Teal'c betrayed the Goa'uld. He does not believe they are gods, any more than you or I do." He held his hands out before him in supplication. "Please. We mean you no harm."

For long moments, the woman considered his offer. Slowly, she dropped her aim and relaxed the bowstring. The zat arrow dissipated as if it had never existed.

"I am called Cetaesa, of the White Tiger Tribe of the Hok'taur," she introduced. "You have convinced me. I will take you to my village. You will speak to the Elders." Jonas dropped his hands.

"My name is Jonas Quinn," he replied. "Where are my friends?" Cetaesa smiled and motioned for him to follow.

"Your friends are safe, if your story is true," she told him. "Likely, they are already in the village, asking about your whereabouts. At the very worst, they are in one of our holding chambers. Fear not." With viperish grace, she began walking down the trail. Jonas, clearly having no other choice, followed quickly.

"So, you are Hok'taur?" he inquired.

"Yes," Cetaesa answered. "My people were brought here ages ago by the Goa'uld. Our myths tell us that we were brought through the _chapa'ai_ from a world far away."

"Which Goa'uld is the one who brought you?" Jonas asked. Cetaesa grinned.

"He was called Khnum," she offered. "A System Lord with very little real power, so I am told. We worshipped him for many years before it was discovered that he was experimenting on us. Unfortunately, it was not us who deposed him. Another Goa'uld, even worse than Khnum, came and destroyed him and took up his experiments. Her name was Nirrti." Jonas paused in his tracks, shocked at the mention of her name.

"Nirrti?" he repeated. "Well, I suppose you'll be happy to know that Nirrti is dead." This time, Cetaesa stopped dead.

"She is?" she questioned. "Who killed her?" Jonas smiled.

"We did," he told her. "Or, rather, we found her experimenting on more innocent humans, and convinced them to do it." Cetaesa looked a little less than pleased to hear the news.

"At least she can no longer harm people," she admitted, "though we would have loved to reserve the honor of her death. It was she who did this to us. She who made us… unnatural."

"So she actually managed to manipulate the human genetic code enough to make you the perfect hosts," Jonas mused.

"Yes," Cetaesa muttered. "But she did not expect us to rise up against her. She thought we would be grateful for her treatments. We knew she meant to use us as hosts. So, using our collective might, we managed to get rid of her. We were just too much for her." Jonas stopped again, this time with a smirk on his face.

"So let me get this straight," he began. "Nirrti managed to create the Hok'taur, but she couldn't control you. You defeated her. Then she went off in an effort to rediscover the secret she left here. But she never found it, and she couldn't return here for fear of her own death." Cetaesa stopped and peered at him quizzically over her shoulder.

"I image it was something like that, yes," she told him, "though I can't be certain. That happened almost 1000 years ago. I wasn't even alive back then." She motioned ahead of her. "Come, Jonas Quinn. We are almost to my village." Hurriedly, Jonas followed the pretty huntress off into the woods.

He had to tell his friends. Maybe this trip wasn't going to be as fruitless as he had dreaded.

To be continued…


	2. City in the Sky

Chapter 2- City in the Sky

The village of the White Tiger Tribe looked less like a village and more like a small city nestled in the branches of the trees to Jonas. Cetaesa led him up a spiraling staircase that wound about the trunk of a massive oak and climbed up into the brightly colored canopy. The homes were built into the trees, supported by thigh- thick branches, and consisted of platforms built around the trunks. Each tree was like its own little island, connected by a series of hanging bridges, and each island blended in very well with the foliage. No wonder Jonas didn't see it until they were there.

"Amazing," he commented. "Your whole tribe lives up here, in the branches?" Cetaesa, clearly pleased, smiled broadly at Jonas just before turning towards a wooden suspension bridge. Something in her smile made Jonas go breathless for a moment before he followed.

"Yes," she answered. "Our people made our homes in the branches for safety. The _jaffa_ used to patrol this area heavily. It was easier for us to hide in the trees than on the ground. The farmers' fields are still down there, but now, everyone lives up here. From the outposts, we can see men coming from miles away. We call this place _Jana'nuta_, or City in the Sky." Together, they walked across the slightly swaying bridge over to another platform.

"City in the Sky," Jonas repeated. "Well, I'm impressed." He wasn't sure if it was the city, or the tour guide, who impressed him the most.

He'd only met a short time ago, but Jonas seemed oddly drawn to the lovely huntress. She was certainly beautiful, and exotic. As they walked through the city together, he noticed how the sunlight caught the soft golden highlights in her hair. He watched how she moved with a natural and deadly grace, a dancer and a warrior combined into one. Her voice was soft but commanding, like steel layered in silk, as she pointed out places of interest. Her presence was exciting, and intoxicating. Wrapped up in these thoughts, Jonas didn't even notice that Cetaesa had led him to the platform where Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were standing by, waiting for him.

"Jonas!" Sam called. "You're ok!" Her words shook him out of his reverie. He blinked a couple of times to clear his head.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "How long have you been here?"

"We have been here only an hour, Jonas Quinn," Teal'c told him. "We were brought here by the Hok'taur shortly after we discovered you were missing." Jonas looked at Teal'c, wide- eyed with shock.

"I was missing?" he returned. "I thought you guys disappeared off the face of the planet." He motioned over to Cetaesa. "This is Cetaesa, of the White Tiger Tribe." The huntress inclined her head graciously.

"I am pleased to meet the friends of Jonas Quinn," she intoned. Jonas smiled and turned towards her.

"These are Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, and Teal'c," he introduced. "We are from a planet called Earth and represent an organization on that planet called the SGC." Solemnly, Cetaesa nodded.

"I understand from Jonas that you are here to form an alliance against the Goa'uld," she intoned. "You will have to speak with the Elders. Remain here while I speak with them on your behalf. If they desire to see you, I shall return. In the meantime, there will be food and water brought to you. Please do not stray from this island. The ForestRunners are everywhere, and they will detain you and bring you back if you try to escape." Jonas looked at Cetaesa in shock.

"Detained?" he asked. Cetaesa smile lightly.

"Fear not, Jonas Quinn," she assured him. "It is for your, and our, safety. Until the Elders make a decision on your presence, it would be safer if you stayed here. Many of my people frown on the appearance of newcomers through the _chapa'ai_. They will believe you are Goa'uld, and try to kill you. It would be most unfortunate if you died here." With another smile, she turned off towards another bridge and crossed it.

"Well, they are certainly an interesting people," Jack commented. Jonas turned towards the group.

"They are Hok'taur, Jack!" he exclaimed. "I was talking with Cetaesa-"

"You and 'Cetaesa' sure have gotten friendly," Jack noted. "First name basis already."

"Jack, please," Jonas begged. "On our way here, she told me about her peoples' history. Apparently, they were brought through the Stargate from Earth by a Goa'uld named Khnum. Well, he started experimenting on them, and they found out. But not before Nirrti came and defeated Khnum and picked up where he left off."

"Wait a second here," Jack interrupted. "Are you telling me these people are the Hok'taur? The advanced humans Nirrti was trying to create?" Jonas smiled and nodded his head vigorously.

"Yes!" he answered. "But, you see, they defeated Nirrti. She made them powerful, too powerful. They drove her off. Nirrti was trying to find a way to recreate the Hok'taur elsewhere because she couldn't return here for fear of death."

"And Nirrti didn't tell anyone else of their existence because she wanted a Hok'taur host for herself," Sam reasoned. "She was probably also ashamed of having been beaten by her own creations."

"So she fled," Jonas finished. "That was a thousand years ago, Sam. Think of how they might have evolved since then."

"Then they are in danger," Teal'c chimed in. "The Goa'uld may be looking for them. If they have a gate, there is always the threat of the Goa'uld returning. If they are truly the Hok'taur, then our coming here puts them in grave danger."

"Teal'c's right," Sam added. "If rumors of this place get out, Anubis will hear them, and he will find them. He will destroy or enslave these people."

"The Goa'uld will not dare set foot on this planet," Cetaesa interrupted as she walked back across the hanging bridge. "We were careful to hide all evidence that this planet even existed. I do not know how it was that you manage to get here through the _chapa'ai_, but here you are." A frown creased her forehead.

"We got the address for this planet from a stone tablet on the planet of Abydos," Sam told the huntress. "The Stargate here on this planet is but one of thousands in the universe. Some of those worlds the Goa'uld have been to. Some, they have not."

"The bottom line is," Jack interjected, "that the Goa'uld don't like us. And they will use anything- and anyone- they can get their hands on against us. Including you. If you are who you say you are, they will take some of you as hosts and enslave the rest. You will find no peace."

"We put you in danger by coming here," Jonas told Cetaesa, turning to face her. "A powerful System Lord named Anubis has taken a particular interest in the Taur'i. If he tracks us here, he will find you." He turned back to Jack. "We have to get these people out of here." Cetaesa frowned at Jonas.

"We are not going anywhere," she told him sternly. "And you will come with me now. The Elders wish to speak with you." As if on cue, a dozen men, armed with the strange zat bow Cetaesa was carrying, leaped out of the trees and landed on various platforms, all with arrows aimed at SG-1. Jonas stared at Cetaesa in disbelief, while she looked back at him with anguish reflected in her jade eyes.

"I am sorry, Jonas," she apologized. "But the will of the Elders cannot be ignored. I was directed to relieve you of your weapons and to lead you to the Elders' Hall." Slowly, she moved closer to him and pulled the zat blaster out from his belt. She was so close that Jonas could smell the fragrance of her. When she turned away, her hair brushed against his face, soft and scented of lavender. He closed his eyes in an effort to remember the scent of that perfume.

Cetaesa, a few feet away from Jonas now, looked at the zat blaster curiously before hooking it onto her own belt. "Bring them," she ordered. "Ensure none of them try to escape." Not looking back, she started across the bridge. The men came in closer and, upon taking all of their weapons, ushered them across the bridge behind her.


	3. The Prophecy

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1 or anything associated with the coolness that is Stargate. I'm just writing this for entertainment purposes and in the hopes that there is some talent scout out there who might actually make an episode out of one of my stories! Ok, just kidding…

Chapter 3: The Prophecy

The Elders' Hall rose up before Jonas's eyes majestically, the walls of the large cabin painted with images that could have only been form their past. Men and women fought back others in the armor of _jaffa_ warriors. The main panel, however, depicted the turning point in their war against the Goa'uld. A woman with brilliant red hair was grappling another who was unmistakably Nirrti. But the defending woman looked familiar, as well.

The defender looked very much like Cetaesa. Jonas leaned towards the huntress.

"I thought you said that you weren't alive back when your people defeated Nirrti," he stated, nodding towards the canvas painting. Cetaesa looked at it and chuckled softly.

"That is not me, Jonas," she told him. "That, however, is my ancestor. Her name was Celani. The Elders believe that I am the reincarnation of the Great Defender because of my remarkable resemblance. But I have my doubts." Jonas could feel discomfort radiating off of her in waves and was shocked to see her eyes become haunted, as if she were remembering something she thought she'd forgotten long ago.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he apologized. "I had no idea it was such a sensitive subject." Cetaesa gave him a wan smile in return.

"Worry not, Jonas Quinn," she answered. "It is something I will eventually have to cope with. Do not trouble yourself."

Again, Jonas felt her discomfort, but now it was shot through with fine lines of emotional pain. Whatever her connection to this Celani woman, she did not like it, and she had not yet found a way to deal with it. Jonas fought down the urge to reach out to her and offer her comfort. He forced himself to stand there and watch as she fought an emotional battle within herself. After a few moments, she regained her composure, and stood up straight.

"Come with me," she commanded in her silk over steel voice. "The Elders await." With a purposeful stride, she led SG-1 into the large cabin.

Inside, a fire was burning in a large, wide mouthed bowl of shiny metal. Smoke curled up from the bowl and wafted towards a hole in the ceiling where the daylight poured in. Just beyond the dancing fire sat 5 people- 3 men, 2 women, all of them with silver hair. Gracefully, Cetaesa dropped to one knee and bowed her head.

"Elders," she intoned respectfully. "I have brought you the strangers who came through the _chapa'ai_." One of the old men smiled and held her hand out to her.

"You, as always, have served us well, Cetaesa," he stated in a voice like rustling leaves.

"Pah!" another man interjected. "She is too concerned, as usual, with her place in the Prophecy to provide us with more than mediocre service." Cetaesa's head came up, and even Jonas could tell that the light of anger burned like jade fire in her eyes.

"Oh, hush, you old bat," one of the women, a kindly looking dame with her silvery hair in a wrist- thick braid, scolded. "Cetaesa has been nothing short of a faithful daughter to us all. And you would be wise to remember her place in the Prophecy, as well." The old woman beamed at the young huntress, who cringed away slightly. "She will save us all, she will. Just like her ancestor Celani."

"Rise, Cetaesa," the second woman, a bitter looking old lady, ordered. "You may wait outside for your new friends." Stiffly, Cetaesa climbed to her feet. She bowed perfunctorily at the waist, and turned on her heel, marching out. She tried to storm out past Jonas, but he reached out a hand and caught her shoulder. She paused for just a second, and grabbed his offered hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, letting him know silently that she would be all right. She released his hand and walked out of the tent, her temper cooled a bit.

"So," the kindly old woman asked, "you are the travelers who came through the _chapa'ai_?" She smiled at them all, and motioned for them to sit. "I am called Nauru, and I am the High Elder of the White Tiger Tribe." Jonas gratefully sank down on the floor into a comfortable sitting position.

"My name is Jonas Quinn," he began. "These are Colonel Jack O'Neill-"

"I'm the… head boss guy," Jack interrupted, waving his hand. Jonas resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and motioned towards Sam.

"That is Major Samantha Carter," he stated. Then he motioned to the _jaffa_. "And that is Teal'c." The bitter old man stiffened in his seat.

"_Jaffa_," he breathed.

"First Prime of Apophis," whispered the sour old lady. Nauru smiled at Teal'c.

"_Shol'dam_," she added. "Betrayer of Apophis and the Goa'uld. Be welcome among us." Teal'c smiled, which he rarely did, and nodded his head.

"Um, if it's not too much to ask," Jonas put in, "we came here to forge an alliance with you against the Goa'uld." Nauru raised her hand, silencing him.

"Yes, Jonas Quinn, so Cetaesa has told us," she assured him. "It was written in the Prophecy that you would come here." Jack, of course, was the first one to answer up.

"Prophecy?" he asked. "Ya mean you knew we were coming here?" Nauru smiled and laughed lightly.

"Of course, colonel," she admitted. "We know everything that is going to happen for the next several centuries. We knew some time ago that four strangers were going to come through the _chapa'ai_, but they would not be our enemies." He smile faded and her voice grew solemn. "We also know that, though unintentional, you will lead our enemies back to this place. The Goa'uld will return." Jonas, keeping his thoughts to himself up until now, finally began to put things together.

"So that's Cetaesa's role in the Prophecy," he said. "She's going to drive off the Goa'uld." Nauru's eyes widened, and seem to fill with sorrow.

"I'm afraid not, Jonas Quinn," she disagreed. "Cetaesa is going to die at the hands of our enemies. Her death is going to lead you to the Goa'uld."

To be continued…


End file.
